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Braun not concerned with struggles, reception

Braun not concerned with struggles, reception

Braun played his first spring road game on Saturday, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a slick sliding catch in foul ground during an 8-1 Brewers loss to the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Braun dropped to 1-for-15 so far this spring with a home run and three walks.

Is 15 at-bats enough to draw any conclusions?

"There's never a quantity of at-bats in Spring Training that would concern me, ever," Braun said. "Spring Training has never been result-oriented. It's always process-oriented. The process is certainly a little different this year. It's an adjustment I'll have to make."

This spring is different because Braun, after appealing a suspension over the winter, is under a spotlight brighter than the Arizona sunshine. He played before supportive crowds at Maryvale Baseball Park, but Saturday received a harsher reception on the road, even as an L.A. guy playing in front of Angels fans.

"I don't think anything of it," Braun said. "That's a story for you guys."

Next week, Braun will gradually begin to increase his workload. He said he plans to start back-to-back games for the first time on Monday and Tuesday -- both road games, including a Monday matchup with Yu Darvish and the Rangers in Surprise, Ariz.

It's part of his process.

"If I go 0-for-50 in Spring Training, I'm 100 percent confident I'll have success in the season. I'm serious," Braun said. "It's just a different intensity, different focus, energy, enthusiasm when you play regular-season games. It just is.

"Of course, I want to have success. You always want to have success. But it's different."